Can't Happen Here
by Mii-Chan 24
Summary: Max," Gazzy sobbed, tears running down his cheeks. "How could you!" What happens when the Flock just snaps? Dark!Flock... Character Deaths rated for language ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Can't Happen Here**

**By Amaya 24**

**First Slot: Max**

**Disclaimer: Maximum Ride is not mine.**

**Notes: Completely Alternate Universe.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------- **

"Max! What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Fang shouted, straining uselessly against the metal shackles currently cutting into his wrists. The rest of the Flock was in similar positions, fear showing in their eyes as they glanced around the dark dungeon.

All of them except Angel. Angel glanced up at Max, her blue eyes nervous. Her arm was starting to get all tingly-- Max was cutting off the circulation in it. "Max...?" She asked hesitantly, her voice thick with tears. Max turned, looking down at her, her eyes oddly blank.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked, her voice sounding mocking in the cold chamber. Iggy's sightless eyes fell on Max unerringly, his voice raspy.

"Max, let us go! What happened? Don't do this!" He pleaded, dried blood running in rivers down his arms. Max shook her head, a strange smile on her face.

"I can't do that, Iggy." She said in the same mocking voice, gripping Angel's arm tighter, making the younger girl wince in pain.

"Why not?!" Fang demanded harshly, making his chains clank omnously. He had a huge bruise on his cheek and he was bleeding from various other places. His eyes narrowed dangerously as Max's smile widened.

"Because..." She trailed off, her face thoughtful. Then the grin slipped back on, an almost wild glint in her eyes. "Because I can't. The Voice said so..." She trailed off again, her eyes far away.

"The point is," She continued in a conversational tone, "This can't go on anymore. Believe me; it hurts me as much as it'll hurt you."

Genuine fear entered the eyes of the Flock as Max regarded them coolly. Nudge, who'd gotten a gag shoved in her mouth, began thrashing about, making a loud keening noise as Max wandered towards her slowly. She crouched down in front of Nudge, a concerned expression on her face.

"Are you scared, Nudge?" She asked, a troubled look on her face. Nudge nodded quickly, whimpering as Max touched her cheek gently.

"Wanna know something?" Max whispered, wiping a tear from Nudge's cheeks. Nudge shook her head vigorously, making that same heartless smile appear on Max's face again. "You should be."

"Leave her alone, Max!" Iggy roared, bucking wildly. Max chuckled, the sound echoing in the small room.

"Or what?" She sneered, straightening up and facing Iggy. "You'll fight me?"

Fang glanced at Nudge, who was shaking wildly. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it ended up more like a grimace.

"Max, please. We'll figure all of this out. Just let us _go_," Fang murmured, going for a cajoling tone but failing miserably. Max grinned at him like that cat that ate the canary.

"You've been really talkative lately, haven't you?" She asked, dragging Angel along as she stood in front of Fang. Angel whimpered, shooting Fang a scandalized look.

"Just tell us what you're planning to do," He said, holding Max's fevered gaze with his own incredulous one.

"Nothing much," She sing-songed, smiling widely at Angel. Angel whimpered, her eyes widening as her mind-reading powers finally kicked in.

"Max! Don't!" She cried, trying to jerk her hand away Max's grip unsuccessfully.

Fury crossed Max's features, and she reached out, backhanding Angel, making her yelp in pain. Fang struggled uselessly against his chains, his heart breaking as Angel began sobbing against the cold floor.

"Angel!!" Gazzy howled, his wings snapping open crookedly behind him, half-squashed against the cold stone wall.

"I'm sorry Angel," Max crooned, ignoring Gazzy's cry and standing above Angel's shivering body. "I promise, it's not going to hurt for much longer."

Fang had no more than a second to look away when he heard a sickening crack, then a heavy thump.

The dungeon was silent for a few seconds, before Gazzy let out a blood-curdling wail. Fang's stomach heaved as he caught sight of Angel-- her little neck had been snapped and her body tossed like a rag doll.

Max gazed idly at the body. "Hmm. Thought it'd be harder," She mused, poking the body with the toe of her boot. Suddenly noticing the rest of the Flock, she looked up, beaming as if nothing had happened; as if she hadn't just killed one of the Flock.

"Max," Gazzy sobbed, tears running down his cheeks. "How _could_ you?!"

Max cocked her head to the side curiously. "It was pretty easy, actually." She said casually, gazing at the rest of them. Total, who'd been unusually quiet, finally spoke.

"Max..." He said in a low voice, his round doggie eyes saddened. "Why? She didn't do anything..."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Max said in a chipper voice. "You'll see her again soon enough," Her face darkened again, glancing between an outraged Iggy and a sobbing Nudge.

"Aw, sweetie..." Max glanced around the cell, pulling off a bracket once used to hold flaming torches before turning to Nudge.

This time Fang _did_ hurl, filling the dungeon with the sickly smell that mixed with the growing smell of blood coming from two bodies.

Spitting angrily, Fang turned to look at Nudge's body. Gazzy couldn't keep his eyes away from-- it. If it hadn't been for the blood running down her temple, it would have looked as if she were just asleep.

"Nudge..." Iggy whispered in a small voice, fear and panic making him jerk anxiously. Max looked at him sadly.

"Relax, Iggy," She whispered, a glazed look in her eyes. Fang's eyes focused on the splatters of blood on Max's shirt, and his stomach heaved again.

"Iggy. You loved her, didn't you? You really cared... Don't worry." She said, cradling the bloody bracket in her arms. "Give Nudge and Angel my regards."

Fang winced as the bracket scraped against the stone wall. "Iggy..." He muttered, his chest tightening painfully as Iggy's body slumped down, blood spurting from a hole in the middle of his chest.

"_Tsk_," Max said, wiping the blood off her face in a disgusted manner. "And then there were three..." She smiled wickedly at the remaining Flock members.

"Total, you poor thing..." Max cooed, gathering up the limp dog in her arms and rocking him like you would a baby. "Such a short existence."

Fang leaned his head back against the wall, trying in vain to clear his mind from the images of the days when they used to catch food in the wild, wringing their necks-- just like what... Poor Total.

Gazzy couldn't take it any more and burst out bawling, his face terrified. "I don't understand, Max," He whimpered, his face unbearably pale. "Why did you kill them?"

Max considered it for a second. "Because I could."

She crouched in front of Gazzy and embraced him, rubbing his back gently, like she did before all of this had happened. "I'm so sorry, Gazzer." She murmured, reaching the delicate spot between his wings where they joined his spine and pushed hard.

Gazzy screamed, then his blue eyes dulled, his head lolling to the side, leaning into Nudge. Fang clenched his teeth, panic setting in as he watched Max remove her hand away from Gazzy, her thumb and index finger covered in blood.

She stood up and gently ruffled the Gasman's hair before walking towards Fang. He glared at her hatefully, his mind sluggishly trying to understand what had happened.

"And then there was one. What now, Fang?" Max asked, her brown eyes questioning.

"I don't know, Max. Aren't you gonna kill me too?" He spat, fire burning in his chest. Max glanced at the ruined bodies of the flock in an almost sad way.

"I had to, Fang." She explained quietly, not meeting his eyes. Fang snorted, much to her annoyance.

"You'll understand eventually," She declared, standing over him with a maniacal expression on her face. "'Bye, Fang. I love you." Then everything went black.

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**A/N: Heh... yeah. I don't know what happened. I was just writing, then... yeah...**

**I don't know... I wrote this on a whim, since there aren't too many MR horror stories. If you didn't get it or want the background info as to what happened, review or PM me. You can flame if you want; I don't really care. For all of you who thought this was interesting, I'm planing on writing more soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Can't Happen Here**

**By Amaya 24**

**Second Slot: Fang**

**Disclaimer: Maximum Ride is not mine.**

**Notes: Completely Alternate Universe. HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FIRST CHAPTER!!!!!**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------- **

Max never knew what hit them. One minute, she and Fang were arguing back at Lake Mead. The next thing she knew, the Flock was strapped down on metal operating tables, all of them upright so that they could see each other.

Angel's hands were tied high above her head, her blue eyes scared. Max tried to send her a comforting look, but failed miserably.

Gazzy was in no better shape; he had a bruise on his forehead, and his hands were bound up so tight that they chaffed the skin, making it bleed in some parts.

Nudge had a strip of black cloth covering her mouth, rendering her unable to talk. Her cuffs dug into her skin and left blood trails that led down her arms.

Iggy was struggling fiercely against his chains, but he was steadily weakening. Eventually he stopped, his sightless eyes focused on the wall opposite from them.

Even Total was chained up, his front paws tied so that he dangled at eye level, patches of fur missing from his body.

And Max-- Max's chains weren't making her bleed, but they were cutting off the circulation in her arms. She kicked out violently, hoping against hope that maybe _this _time it would help her get free and save her Flock. Her attempts were in vain; all she got from it was a hurt foot.

"Guys, hang on... We'll get out of this somehow." Max called to the Flock, her voice sounding fake even to her.

"How?" Iggy asked dully. Max hesitated, looking around the room to make sure...

"Fang's not here; maybe he didn't get caught. Maybe he'll come and get us out..." She said, not at all convinced.

"Who'll get you out?" A voice asked from the shadows. Max looked up, her face surprised.

"Fang?"

"Hi Max. Hi everyone," Fang called, smirking strangely. Max narrowed her eyes.

"Fang, what's going on? Let us go so we can get out of here!" She ordered, her voice only shaking a little. Again Fang smirked, his eyes blank.

"Can't do that, Max." He called out, walking forward menacingly, his boots echoing in the room. Iggy turned to Fang.

"What the hell, man?! Get us out of here!" He snapped, struggling to against his chains again. Fang stopped less than a foot away, staring at them like they were some strange new zoo exhibit.

"Like I said. Can't." He said, cocking his head to the side. Gazzy's eyes widened slightly.

"Fang? What are you doing?" He whimpered, making his chains clank loudly.

"What do you mean, Gazzer? I'm not doing anything."

"Exactly! Why aren't you getting us out of here?!" Max snapped, trying to kick Fang. Fang looked at her curiously.

"Because I'm not." He looked away and glanced around the room. For the first time, Max noticed a black box sitting on a counter inconspicuously.

"Remember when the School caught us, before 'the Split'?" Fang asked in a conversational tone as he walked towards the counter. Max's eyes narrowed at him.

"What about it?" She practically spat. Fang chuckled, opening the box.

"Ter Borcht asked me why I let a girl be the leader." Max felt something fall to the pit of her stomach._ Oh Gods, no..._

"I always figured that since you were the oldest, you should be the leader," Fang continued, messing with whatever was in the box. "But then I started thinking..."

He turned around to face the Flock, his eyes cold. "I could have led the Flock. We wouldn't have been in so many stupid situations if I were in charge. Or better yet; I could have left. I never really _needed_ the Flock-- I would have been perfectly fine on my own. But I stayed."

"If you hated being with us so much, then why didn't you leave before?" Max snarled, hurt filling her eyes.

"I don't know; like I said, I hadn't thought about it until Ter Borcht mentioned it." He said it so calmly...

"Alright. Fine. What does that have to do with us?" Iggy asked, trying to keep Max from doing something she'd regret later.

"Well, it's got everything to do with you guys." Fang grinned. It wasn't a normal kind of grin; not like the kinds he occasionally gave the flock members. This smile-- it scared them.

"Since you guys probably wouldn't want me to lead the Flock, I figured I'd start a new flock."

"What kind of twisted logic is that?!" Max growled, almost bursting in anger.

"It's not twisted." Fang said in a sad little voice, like a little kid who'd been scolded. "It makes sense; what better place to start than the place that made us?"

"So _you_ brought us to the School?" Gazzy asked, his face shocked. Fang nodded, smiling.

"You're here to get your new Flock and as a bonus leave us here for the whitecoats? Is that it?" Max growled. Fang snorted.

"The whitecoats? Those idiots? They're gone. And soon you will be too," It took the older Flock members a few seconds to understand what that meant for them. By then, it was too late.

Fang walked towards Total, who was staring at Fang with scared eyes. He whimpered as Fang pulled out something; a... syringe?

"Total, do you know how the pounds gets rid of the dogs no one adopts?" The dog comment hurt Total, but right now he had more pressing matters to worry about.

"Leave him alone!" Angel cried, tears running down her cheeks. Total's little body slumped as Fang injected the clear liquid into his system, slowly shutting down his organs one by one.

"Total!" She wailed, making Max's heart break. As much as she complained about the little dog, seeing him... like _that_ made her angrier than anything the whitecoats had ever done.

"Don't worry about it, Angel," Fang said, crouching in front of Angel and patting her head. "You'll see him again soon."

"Don't you _dare touch her!_" Max shouted, struggling uselessly against her chains. Fang ignored her cries and hugged Angel.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," He said quietly, clutching her little blond head close to his chest.

"Leave her alone!" Gazzy shouted, startling the rest of the flock.

"Sorry Gazzer. It's a bit late now..." Fang chuckled, backing away from Angel. Her eyes were opened wide, fearful, but she wasn't moving.

"What did you do to her?!" Max and Gazzy snarled at the same time. Fang chuckled, letting them think about it.

Max was the first to notice the blood running down Angel's face, coming from a small hole in her temple.

"What did you _do_?" She asked, slightly more fearful now. Fang chuckled.

"Remember the nanobullets you told me about? They're pretty useful close up." Max stared at Fang with anger in her eyes.

"Y... you killed Angel..." She whispered, glancing at the six-year-old's slack form before glaring at her killer.

"How could you?!" Iggy snarled, seething.

"Easily enough, actually. I thought she was going to put up more of a fight," Fang commented, shrugging in a 'what-can-you-do' kind of way.

"You... you sick son of a--!"

"Ah, watch your language, Max," Fang mocked as tears ran down Max's cheeks. "We still have little kids here, you know."

"_You killed my sister, you jerk!_" Gazzy howled, glaring hatefully at Fang

"And you're next if you don't keep your mouth shut," Fang snapped back, his dark eyes flashing angrily. Gazzy whimpered, but otherwise no sound escaped from him.

"Why are you doing this?" Max asked in a broken voice.

"Didn't I already explain this?" Fang asked, gazing at Max curiously. "I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to react when one of my best friends starts killing us off?!" She screeched, avoiding glancing at Angel and Total's bodies.

"Killing you off? I'm _saving_ you."

"By killing us? Yeah, that'll work." Iggy sneered, causing Fang's attention to shift.

"Ah, Iggy... Scared?" Fang walked forward to stand less than an inch away from Iggy's face. "You should be..."

Suddenly, the black-clad figure lashed out, clapping his cupped palms over Iggy's ears, effectively rupturing his eardrums.

Despite the pain it caused, Iggy only hissed; now was truly blind.

"Don't worry, Igs. It'll be over soon," Fang chuckled dryly, reaching for Iggy's throat. Sickened, Max looked away, paling at the loud _crack_ that soon followed.

Nudge, who'd been forced to stay silent, now bit through her gag, screaming Iggy's name loudly.

"Nudge..." Fang clucked his tongue, kneeling before Nudge. "You know, there's a reason why I put that gag on you."

"You _monster_!!" Nudge screamed again, fighting fiercely against her chains, tears running down her cheeks.

"Sorry Nudge. This is all for your own good, though," Fang said matter-of-factly, a grin on his face.

"For our own good?" Max sneered, her face dark. Fang sighed, giving Max a pitying look.

"Yep. For your own good. See, like this." Fang lashed out again, his face blank, his hands closing around Nudge's neck.

"You should have learned to control your mouth better, Nudge. Bye..." He whispered, almost caringly, as he slowly put pressure on Nudge's windpipe.

Her eyes bugged out, trying hard to suck in air and failing. Fang grinned as the light leeched out of the twelve-year-old's eyes, finally letting go after her body stirred no more.

"Well, 'least it's quiet now," He said, backing away from Nudge's body and criticizing it like an artist contemplating his new masterpiece would.

"... Nudge?" Gazzy asked fearfully, his pale face almost bloodless. Fang smirked at the little boy.

"You'll see them all soon, Gazzy," He vowed, nodding as if to prove a point.

"Fang, don't! Please... just stop..." Max sobbed, gazing at her ruined flock painfully. Gazzy shot her a frightened look, but could do nothing to reassure the poor boy. They were going to die there; there was no avoiding the matter. The only variable was how their death would meet them.

"You're begging, Max? That's rich," Fang sneered, standing above the girl. She shot him a disgusted look.

"Kill me if you want; just let Gazzy go," She said, hoping to bargain.

"... I don't think so."

"Let him go! He's just eight years old! He actually has--"

"What?" Fang interrupted. "A chance of making it out there in the world? You have to face the facts, Max. He's a mutant freak. A _young_ mutant freak; he'd be eaten alive out there. No," He said, nodding to himself. "No, what I'm doing is better. It's for their own good."

He whirled around to face Gazzy, a maniacal expression on his face as he played with the small, golf-ball sized... thing.

"Open wide, Gazzer," Fang cooed, pinching Gazzy's nose. He tried to hold on as much as he could, but when he needed air, Fang popped the black thing in his mouth, holding it shut.

"Swallow, Gazzy," Fang commanded, meeting the Gasman's scared gaze with his own calm one. Fearfully, Gazzy swallowed, shooting Max anxious glances.

"Well, now that that's taken care of..." Fang said, stepping away from Gazzy.

"Max?" The little boy croaked, looking at his stomach worriedly.

"Since Gazzy's always loved blowing things up, I figured I'd give him a dose of his own medicine," Fang mused, smiling at the shaking Gasman.

"You made him swallow a _bomb_?! Are you nuts?!" Max shouted, trying to kill Fang with her gaze alone.

"Well, not a 'boom' bomb," Fang shrugged, leaning against the counter. "More like a... like a... he won't explode into bits; that'd be too much of a pain to clean up. No, this is more like... like ricin. Something like that.

"Y'see, this chemical has the ability to liquefy organs; since Gazzy likes to eat so much, figured I'd give him a double dose of fun-- bombs and food-- all in one." Fang finished, an almost proud note in his voice.

Max turned her shocked gaze from Fang to Gazzy, who was bent over double in pain. Blood was coming out of his mouth and from his bottom, staining his khaki pants a deep red.

"You... you killed them..." Max murmured in a shocked voice as Gazzy's spasms began slowing down. "All of them... our family..."

"Not done yet, though," Fang chirped, the same sadistic smile on his face.

"My flock..." Max whispered, ignoring Fang. All of her life...

"Don't be sad, Max. Trust me, it was for their own good," Fang murmured, kneeling before Max and lifting her chin up, sounding almost sane. Almost.

"But... they're gone..." She sobbed, tears running down her cheeks and pooling in Fang's hand.

"I know, Max. I know," Fang said soothingly, his voice bringing up memories long forgotten-- days when they were still a family.

"You know, I never really wanted to do this. But now there's nothing I can do." The calm look in his eyes was suddenly replaced by one full of fury.

"There is, however, one last thing I need to take care of..." He whispered, an almost hysteric edge in his voice. He lifted her chin up more, making her meet his eyes, and proceeded to kiss her softly.

"You stole my heart, Max..." Fang murmured quietly, smiling that same, rare smile Max had grown to love. "You stole my heart. I figure I had to do something to repay the favor."

Max felt pain in her chest, but soon it was gone, her vision blurring at the edges. With what scarce amount of energy she had left, Max look up, gazing at Fang, who seemed to be holding something red in his hands. Something that slowly dripped red onto the tiles before her.

Her vision swam, and she vaguely noticed black crawling into her eyesight. _Fang_...

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**Whoa... That kinda freaked me out...**

**Okay! A little more explanation on this one, I hope. But again, if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them!**

**Next slot: Iggy.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Can't Happen Here**

**By Amaya 24**

**Third Slot: Iggy**

**Disclaimer: Maximum Ride is not mine.**

**Notes: Completely Alternate Universe. HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FIRST OR SECOND CHAPTERS!!**

**Oh, and quick note for all of you faithful readers: Chapter 1 was a test drive. The REAL Max chapter will come up in the end (after Angel.)**

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

"Iggy? Iggy, what are you doing?" Nudge whimpered, staring at the tall, strawberry-blond haired boy. Iggy chuckled, taking his time to secure her hands to the metal tube firmly cemented into the ground.

Despite being unable to see, Iggy knew exactly where they were; the old abandoned factory had been the Flock's hideout for quite a few weeks. He knew where everything was: the large metal cylinders that contained oil, the electrical outlets, the water lines, the live power lines, and the dilapidated pieces of machinery strewn about the place.

Max had said this was the perfect place to hide out; it was about to be their downfall.

Said 14-year old mutant was currently glaring daggers at the person who, until recently, she had called 'friend'.

"Max, I know you're glaring at me; it's no use." Iggy commented, finishing Nudge's bonds and leaning back against a couple of crates stacked in front of the struggling flock.

"Iggy, dude, you don't have to do this." Fang said, trying to reason with his best friend. Iggy laughed, the sound echoing darkly among the rusting machines.

"That's where you're wrong, _dude_," He sneered, clearly enjoying what was going on. Max struggled against her restraints, a small part of her mind impressed at how brilliant the blind guy really was. How the h-e-double toothpicks had he made that cloth so _strong_?

"Iggy, let us go!" Max shouted, trying to sound commanding. Iggy barked out a laugh again, his sightless eyes radiating hate.

"Yeah... no." Again he smirked, like it was all a big game.

"Iggy?" Gazzy asked, his eyes flitting between Max and Iggy. Iggy cocked his head.

"'Sup, Gazzer?"

"Igs, you gotta let us go. This isn't right-- if any Flyboys come, we won't be able to stop them." The eight-year-old said slowly, his little mind whirring. Iggy put his index finger to his temple thoughtfully.

"I'm not letting you go. Sorry," Iggy chirped, closing his eyes. Not that it mattered to him, of course.

"Iggy, you let us go right now or --"

"Max, you can't do anything to me right now," Iggy pointed out, leaning luxuriously against the crates.

"Iggy, why are you doing this?" Max demanded instead, pulling away from the binds.

"Iggy, let us go!" Nudge pleaded. Angel whimpered beside her, her blue eyes wide with fear.

"Max! He's gonna--"

"Mouth shut, Angel," Iggy snapped harshly. Angel visibly flinched, shooting Max a scared look.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Max snarled, panic and anger blending into one. Iggy chuckled, taking in a deep breath.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want, _Maximum_." He sneered, deliberately cursing. They were all going to die anyways; what did it matter if the kiddies heard a few bad words before they met their maker?

"Y'see, it's like this." Iggy stood up and began pacing in front of the flock almost nervously, his fingers drumming against his jeans.

"Max, you and Fang get all the attention. Even little Angel gets more attention than the poor, pitiful blind kid," He snarled, standing, unerringly, in front of Max. She stared at him, surprised.

"You're doing this because of attention?" She asked incredulously, her eyes shooting towards Fang. Fang blinked at her, almost as worried as she was.

"Attention? The way you say it, you're making it sound like I'm some sort of sociopath," Iggy chuckled dryly. He shook his head, starting to pace again.

"Admit it, Max: We're your toadies. We have _nothing_ here. I'm only around because I keep you brats well-fed, when we have food. Nudge? Her computer hacking skills are the only thing that has come in handy, and even then, they're only used, what? Once, twice? Total? A sarcastic little talking Scottie is _so_ interesting." Iggy rolled his eyes, rage making his frame quiver.

"And Gazzy. Everyone knows that having a funky digestive problem gets you places," Iggy sneered, glaring hatefully at Max before shooting daggers at the rest of the Flock.

"But not anymore!" He declared loudly, the sudden sound making the kids jump. "Nuh-uh. I'm not taking your crap anymore, Max." An almost psychotic grin replaced Iggy's sneer as he began ranting again.

"You've had a lot of time to think about this, haven't you?" Max asked, her face drawn. Iggy smirked.

"Damn straight! I'm breaking free, Max. I'm finally going to be on my own, without having to worry about dying the next day or not! I'm finally going to get the attention I deserve, even if kills me! Or you guys," He added the last part so casually, so absently, that it took them a few seconds for the words to make it through their heads.

"Iggy..." Angel snapped, drawing the attention of the tall boy. Iggy smirked, his cheeks flushed red with excitement.

"I don't think so, Angel. Your mind-controlling mumbo jumbo crap isn't going to work on me." He crowed, turning to the curly-haired six year old.

"Why isn't it working?" She wailed, her brow furrowed in concentration. Her face considerably reddened as she exerted most of her energies in trying to get Iggy to let them free.

"Dunno. Don't really care as long as it works," Iggy muttered offhandedly, brushing his bangs out of his face. "But I gotta tell ya, those whitecoats sure know how to work things."

"The whitecoats?!" Max gasped, fury burning at her insides. Iggy nodded, happy to finally spill his secret out loud.

"Yep. Don't sound so surprised, Maxie. They said they'd give me my sight back if I got rid of you guys." Iggy shrugged, smiling almost lovingly at the thought. Max shook her head, sickened that he'd been led away like that.

"How could you, Iggy? We're your family; we've always been there for you," She wept, her voice cracking. Iggy sighed, impatience written all over his features.

"Yeah, yeah. Nothing you say is gonna get me to change my mind. Hell, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to stop this. You're gonna croak today if it's the last thing I do." With that, Iggy began fishing around in his backpack, his posture tense.

"What happens if the whitecoats don't keep up their end of the bargain?" Fang asked, his dark eyes flashing apprehensively. "What if you kill us and they get rid of you afterwards?"

Iggy paused, raising his head for a second. "Well, if that happens... You'll die first." He gave a nonchalant shrug and returned to his bag, going as far as humming a little tune.

"Iggy, please don't do this," Nudge pleaded, her dark skin ashen. She looked ready to pass out.

"Igs, if you're doing this for attention, why kill everyone? Gazzy, Nudge, and Total are in the same boat you are; why're you getting rid of them?" Max asked desperately, hoping to save at least the little ones. Iggy sighed, aggravated, and whipped around, making Nudge yelp slightly.

"Because, Max. Because. They'd never listen to me; you've got them feeding out of your freakin' hand. What good is it for me if they're constantly gonna be pining after you and Mr. Mysterious over there?" He pointed brusquely towards Fang. He shook his head derisively and pulled his bag toward him, shifting through the contents rapidly. Somewhere in the warehouse, an alarm went off.

"Oh. That's my cue to hurry it up. Well, it was nice knowing you. See ya in hell," He leered, sticking something into his pocket and opening his wings. He turned to his old flock and flipped them off before powering out through an opening in the warehouse's roof.

"Come on guys," Max called, pulling at her shackles uselessly. The rest of the Flock struggled for a few seconds, but eventually they stopped. Nudge and Angel were sobbing, and Total looked like he was ready to pass out. Fang seemed pretty shaken up as well. Gazzy, on the other hand, was sniffing the air curiously, a horrified look appearing on his face.

"Do you guys smell that?" He squeaked, staying completely still. The others followed suit, cautiously sniffing the air.

"It's sweet," Nudge sniffled, making a face. "It's gross."

"It's giving me a headache," Total proclaimed feebly, his black eyes dull. Max sniffed the air and turned to Gazzy.

"What is it?" She asked, almost afraid of what she would find. Already she could feel her lungs filling up with whatever it was, constricting painfully in her chest. She could see Angel wheezing, trying to get in a decent breath.

Gazzy was panting, looking green. "It's _gas_," He whispered, tears running down his cheeks. Max blinked. Gas? What kind of--?

Time stopped as the small red lighter fell from the hole in the roof, its flame twisting in the air. Max didn't have time to think. She could only watch helplessly as, slowly, the flame caught on the gas in the air.

--

High above the warehouse, Iggy chuckled. He loved a good explosion.

**00000000000000**

**Um... yeah. Know what? This is actually really hard. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to write, but you have to be in the right mood to be able to. **

**I've gotten.. well. Not really **_**complaints**_**, but a few people telling me that they don't really like this much. They still read it, but they don't exactly like it. And see, that's the thing; Max Ride doesn't have many horror stories here. THAT'S WHY I'M DOING THIS!!**

**If anyone out there **_**doesn't**_** like my stories, by all means, write your own Max Ride horror fic. I'd love to read more out there. Well, Iggy's up, which means... Nudge is next. If anyone has any suggestions, leave a message, okay?**

**Thanks for reading.**


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